Breaking news – This morning the Royal Courts of Justice in London have ruled that the decision by Waverley Council to grant planning permission to turn Undershaw into houses ‘must be quashed’ due to ‘legal reasons.’

This is fantastic news and a testament to the tireless hard work by the Undershaw Preservation Trust to protect the former home of Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes fans from around the world have got behind the campaign along with high-profile celebrities such as Mark Gatiss (the charity’s patron) and Stephen Fry.

The case was heard in court last week but the final decision was postponed. I’m so delighted that a decision has now been made – and that it’s the right one.

The legal reasons for withdrawing the planning permission from would-be developers, Fossway, make me wonder how things were ever allowed to get this far.

The council did not consult with English Heritage prior to granting permission, which is a legal requirement with a grade II listed building such as Undershaw. They also failed to reconsider the development plans despite receiving a second application which would keep the property as a single dwelling.

It is shocking that Waverley council so carelessly signed away the future of such an historic building. What a relief that this error has now been rectified, but how sad that it occurred in the first place.

A massive “well done” to the Undershaw team and all those who supported them. I look forward to seeing what the future now holds for this amazing building. At least it now has a future…

Out now: Charlotte Anne Walters’ collection of five present-day Sherlock Holmes stories that poke gentle fun at the idiosyncrasies of modern life not to mention the eccentric detective and his world-weary friend. Click on the image to order

Barefoot on Baker Street is a novel by Charlotte Anne Walters.
The narrative follows Red and her amazing journey from the Victorian workhouse into a life of crime before she meets Sherlock Holmes and Professor James Moriarty.

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To celebrate the release of her novel Barefoot on Baker Street in 2011, writer Charlotte Anne Walters undertook the task of reading and reviewing one of the original Sherlock Holmes short stories every day until she had completed all 56. The reviews were posted daily on her blog and attracted viewers from all over the world. The reviews are full of humour and Holmesian insight, ending in a score out of ten for each story.
This book contains all 56 blogs plus additional material including reviews of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s four Holmes novels.
Although it was a pleasure for a life-long Holmes admirer to re-visit the stories, trying to do this on top of holding down a busy full-time job and family commitments was a big challenge – resulting in some stressful but comical moments detailed in the blogs. Even Mr Walters couldn’t resist throwing in a few comments of his own.
Charlotte is donating all her royalties from this publication to the Undershaw Preservation Trust, a charity striving to protect and restore the former home of Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.